OMG is that true????? geez...
wouldnt they take a credit card or an IOU????
A phone call from the President promising to pay?
Here’s a link explaining it:
http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2012/10/fukushima-reactor-3-explosion-reactor-2.html
In addition, TEPCO arranged to buy batteries in bulk but didnt have a permit to transport them. This is also covered in the linked article. The article laments that these kind of technicalities played such a role in a disaster of this scale. :(
PS: It doesn’t seem to be a question of the store but a cultural expectation that the workers felt it would not be correct to take things without paying for them.